This invention relates to test equipment for testing printed circuit boards and other electrical devices in general and more specifically to a method and apparatus for aligning and electrically connecting a first connector portion with a mating connector portion contained on a printed circuit board.
Printed circuit boards are well-known in the art and are used in various types of electronic devices. The common applications for printed circuit boards and the types of electronic devices in which they are used are far too numerous to list herein.
The typical printed circuit board is provided with a plurality of electrical components mounted thereon and is typically referred to as a xe2x80x9cloadedxe2x80x9d printed circuit board or, simply, a loaded board. Before the loaded printed circuit board is passed on to the end-user or final application, it is usually tested to verify that all required electrical connections have been properly completed and to ensure that all of the components contained thereon are functional. In addition, some electrical components and electromechanical components may also require adjustment.
A variety of test equipment have heretofore been available for testing loaded printed circuit boards. For example, one type of tester is a so-called xe2x80x9cbed of nailsxe2x80x9d tester which is designed to simultaneously contact a plurality of circuit nodes on the board. While such bed of nails testers are effective in testing the functionality of loaded printed circuit boards, some types of printed circuit boards, such as those used in cellular telephones, may include one or more electrical connectors or receptacles thereon that are sized to engage mating connector portions associated with other electronic components or systems that are to be connected to the loaded circuit board. Unfortunately, however, the functionality of such electrical connectors cannot be ascertained with conventional testers (e.g., bed of nails testers). Consequently, the electrical connectors provided on such printed circuit boards are tested by manually connecting a mating connector portion with the electrical connector provided on the printed circuit board.
Although such a manual procedure may be effective from a functional standpoint, such a manual procedure is not without its problems. For example, the technician performing the test may damage the connectors by applying an excessive force or by trying to force a connection between misaligned connectors. To ensure that the connectors are aligned properly and that the proper amount of force is applied, the technician must exercise great care and patience. Thus, manually aligning and connecting mating connectors requires a significant amount of time.
Although an automated procedure would appear to be the likely solution, mating connectors of the type commonly used on printed circuit boards do not readily lend themselves to a procedure in which they are aligned and connected without any manual intervention. More specifically, mating connectors provide only a minimal amount of misalignment tolerance which poses a large obstacle for an automated procedure. Even if an automated process were feasible, the connectors would likely suffer external damage due to side strikes, a frequent occurrence on automated factory lines. The solder joint securing the connector to the printed circuit board may also be damaged during an automated procedure since the existing design of mating connectors allows the forces needed to disengage the mating connectors to be transferred to the solder joint. Finally, unless the automated procedure can be quickly adapted to any of the other various well-known types of connectors, its usefulness would be severely limited.
Consequently, a need remains for connector alignment apparatus that aligns and electrically connects mating connectors without any manual intervention. The connector alignment apparatus should axially align the mating connectors prior to and after their engagement and accommodate some initial misalignment without causing any damage to the connectors. The connector alignment apparatus should electrically connect the mating connectors with only a minimal amount of force. Ideally, the connector alignment apparatus would protect the connectors from side strikes and minimize the stresses placed on the solder joint during the engagement and disengagement processes. Finally, the connector alignment apparatus should allow a technician to easily and quickly adapt the connector alignment apparatus for use with other types of connectors.
Connector alignment apparatus may comprise a mounting plate and a first connector sized to engage a mating connector provided on a device under test. A connector biasing device operatively associated with the mounting plate and the first connector allows the first connector to move with respect to the mounting plate as the first connector is engaged with the mating connector.
Also disclosed is a method for aligning and electrically connecting a first connector and a mating connector that comprises the steps of: Floatingly mounting the first connector to a mounting plate; providing a connector biasing device operatively associated with the mounting plate and the first connector that allows the first connector to move with respect to the mounting plate as the first connector is engaged with the mating connector; and causing the first connector to engage the mating connector.